


The Sun Will Shine Tomorrow

by Olsies



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Abusive Neil Hargrove, Angst, Coming Out, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Good Parent Joyce Byers, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, the boys get kicked out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-22
Updated: 2020-09-22
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:20:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26602858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Olsies/pseuds/Olsies
Summary: Sucking in a shaky breath, Steve parks his car a few blocks from Billy’s house. It’s late, and raining, but Steve doesn’t know what else to do, where else to go. Everything is so fucking fucked. He wonders if Neil is still awake. It’s almost midnight, so he decides to risk it.He gets out of his car and cuts through the woods. When he gets to the house, all he can see is Billy’s light. He rushes over and taps gently on the window.
Relationships: Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington
Comments: 4
Kudos: 141





	The Sun Will Shine Tomorrow

Sucking in a shaky breath, Steve parks his car a few blocks from Billy’s house. It’s late, and raining, but Steve doesn’t know what else to do, where else to go. Everything is so fucking fucked. He wonders if Neil is still awake. It’s almost midnight, so he decides to risk it.

He gets out of his car and cuts through the woods. When he gets to the house, all he can see is Billy’s light. He rushes over and taps gently on the window.

Billy is slow to get up, and at first Steve thinks he woke Billy up, but then he sees Billy’s face. Neil had clearly been in a bad mood and taken it out on Billy. Again.

Tugging the window open, Billy glances over his shoulder.

“Princess, it’s pouring rain, why are you here? Now’s not a good time,” Billy says as Steve asks, “Is that blood?” Billy’s face is more fucked up than normal. His eye is almost swollen shut, and there’s blood all over his cheek and lip. Steve briefly forgets his complete and utter emptiness, and is flooded with white hot rage. He wants to bust in and destroy Neil, but he knows it won’t end well.

“Yes, but that doesn’t matter right now, what does matter is-

“You are literally bleeding,” Steve growls.

“Steve, you need to go home. It’s not safe.”

Letting out a strangled sob, Steve just shakes his head. “I can’t. I don’t- I don’t have a home any more.”

“What?” Billy asks. He glances at the door.

“They kicked me out, Billy. They-” He’s shaking.

“Hang on.” Billy gets up and moves his barbell in front of the door. It wouldn’t stop Neil, but it would slow him down. Billy comes back to the window and helps Steve climb in.

“Billy, your face,” Steve murmurs as Billy grabs a towel. He wraps it around Steve’s shoulders and wipes the rain from his face and hair even as Steve tentatively touches Billy’s face.

Flinching a little, Billy says, “I’m fine.”

“You might need stitches.”

“I’m fine, pretty boy. Tell me what happened.”

Steve shakes his head. “I told them I was bi and they lost it. Like, I knew it was going to be bad. I expected a fight, but- But then my mom started crying and my dad just started screaming, and-” He lets out a little sob. Billy pulls him close. Steve clings to him and cries softly into his chest.

“It’s ok, Stevie. It’s going to be ok.”

“What am I going to do?”

Biting his lip, Billy sighs. “Do you have a change of clothes?”

“In my car.” Steve clings tighter when Billy tries to pull away.

“It’s ok. I’m just going to pack a bag.”

“Where- Where are we going?”

“Tonight we’re going to sleep in your car,” Billy says. He grabs a bag and shoves a change of clothes and warm blanket into it.

Steve licks his lips and pushes his hair out of his face. Part of him knows this is stupid, that there’s no point in making Billy come out in the pouring rain, but Steve doesn’t want to be alone. He is so scared. He has never been more scared in his _entire_ life.

After moving his barbell back, Billy goes to the window.

“C’mon, Steve. Let’s go.” Steve jumps out first, and Billy goes slower. He’s clearly in pain, and Steve wishes there is something he can do, but he knows there’s nothing. He leads them back to his car. They change into dry clothes before crawling in the backseat where Billy wraps them up in his blanket and holds Steve close.

“It’s going to be ok,” Billy whispers.

Steve just whimpers and clutches tighter to Billy’s arm. Billy sighs and kisses Steve behind his ear.

“We’ll get this figured out. It will be ok,” Billy whispers. “You’ll be ok.”

Steve wants to believe him, but it seems so hopeless. What is he supposed to do? He has no money, barely has a job, no prospects for a new place, and now he and Billy are sleeping in his car as they listen to the sound of the rain on the roof of his car. And it’s so fucking cold.

“Are you really ok?” Steve asks, and Billy sighs.

“I’m ok, princess. I promise.”

“What happened?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Billy,” Steve whispers.

“Just the usual. He had a bad day and he took it out on me. He was so fucking mad.” Billy shakes his head a little. “He wants me out by the end of the week, and I just- There wasn’t- I didn’t-” He shakes his head. “I didn’t do anything. I never do anything.” Steve rubs his thumb over Billy’s knuckles. Clearing his throat, Billy kisses Steve’s neck. “Hush now, we’ll talk in the morning. It’ll be ok. You’ll see.”

Yawning, Steve settles back closer to Billy. They tangle their legs together, and while they fall quiet, neither of them sleep.

They give up when the sun starts to come up. They drive into town and head to the diner. Steve insists on cleaning up Billy in the bathroom before they get seated. His face looks even worse. His eye is super fucked up, and there are dry crusties of blood. Billy whines and even yelps once while Steve tries to get the worst of the blood off.

“I really think we should go to the hospital,” Steve says again.

Billy shakes his head. “I’m fine. Now come on.”

They go back out to the dining area, and get seated quickly. They sit across from each other even though all Steve wants to do is sit as close to Billy as possible. They get coffee and just stare at each other, neither of them saying anything.

Eventually they eat some food and then head back out to the car where Steve takes Billy’s hand and holds tightly.

“What am I- What are we going to do?” Steve asks.

Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, Billy asks, “Would you- Do you think you could move in with me? An apartment together. Just you and me.”

Gaping at him a little, Steve says, “Billy, we can’t afford that.”

“I thought you said Robin was working at the Family Video and they needed more help.”

After Robin graduated, she’d moved out of her family’s house and into an apartment with a couple other girls. Even though she still works at Scoops with Steve, she’d needed a second job to make rent and feed herself. If Steve had thought about it, he might have talked to her first, come up with some sort of contingency plan. Not that it mattered; he hadn’t even meant to tell his parents he was queer, it had just slipped out.

“Billy, I don’t know anything about movies.”

“No, but I do,” Billy says.

Steve studies him trying to figure out if Billy is for real. He knows Billy is really smart, but he tries to imagine Billy behind the counter at the video store. He’d be fine with Robin, but Keith? And customers? And what about Neil? What would Neil do when Billy left?

“You would- You would do that for me?” Steve asks.

“Of course I would, Stevie. I love you.”

Eyes filling with tears, Steve swallows hard. They hadn’t said that yet, not out loud anyway. Steve knew he’d been feeling it for several months, and he was pretty sure Billy loved him back, but now he knows.

“I love you, too,” Steve whispers. “I love you so much.” He glances around and leans over to give Billy a small kiss. Billy squeezes his hand. Taking a deep breath, Steve rubs his face with his free hand.

“What am I gonna do in the meantime?” Steve asks as Billy starts the car.

“I was thinking maybe you could stay with Joyce or Dustin.”

Biting his lip, Steve pulls a knee up to his chest as he tries to imagine talking to either mother. He didn’t _think_ Dustin’s mom would care, but he also didn’t think his parents would kick him out. But Joyce. There is no way Joyce would reject him. Reject them. Clearing his throat, Steve looks over at Billy.

“What were you going to do?” Steve asks.

Billy shrugs. “Neil gave me till the end of the week. He- He knew he fucked me up bad, and-”

“You can’t stay with him!” Steve nearly shouts. His body tingles with anxiety as he thinks of Billy stuck in that house with that man.

“What else can I do? It’s going to take me at least a few days to find a place.”

“We could stay with Joyce.”

“I couldn’t ask her to do that. I barely know her.”

“She would say yes. She would take us in. I know she would.”

Licking his lips, Billy squeezes Steve’s hand. He’s shaking and Steve wants to pull him close but he’s worried that people will see and neither of them have the energy to deal with any more bad shit.

Eventually, Billy just nods.

“Joyce is at work right now,” Steve says. Billy squeezes his hand and puts the car in reverse. “Hey, Billy?”

“Yeah, pretty boy?”

“Will you-” Steve clears his throat. “Will you stay with me? When I talk to her?”

“Of course, Stevie.”

They make the short drive to Melvald’s. It’s early, so there aren’t any customers. Joyce is surprised to see them, and when Steve tells her what happened (carefully skipping over Billy being his boyfriend because they hadn’t discussed whether or not they would tell her yet), Joyce pulls Steve into the biggest hug and gives him her house key.

“Of course you both can stay with me until you find a place,” she tells Steve. “I’m so sorry your parents-” She shakes her head.

“Thank you Joyce,” Steve says, and Billy grunts in agreement.

“Of course, sweethearts. Go get some sleep. There are fresh sheets in the linen closet. Help yourself to anything in the fridge.”

Steve pulls her tight again. “Thank you so much, Joyce. You don’t know how much this means to us.” Joyce squeezes him.

“Go get some sleep. We can talk more later,” she says. She looks at Billy and smiles sadly at him. “There’s a first aid kit in the bathroom and I’ve got some Vicodin if you need it in my bedroom on my dresser.”

It takes Billy a minute, but eventually he manages to say, “Thank you. I’m really sorry if this puts you out. We’ll be out as soon as I can find a place. I’ve got some money saved up, I promise we won’t overstay our welcome”

Steve can tell Joyce wants to hug Billy too, but she doesn’t move.

“You boys take your time. It will be ok. Now go on. Get some rest. You need it,” she says.

Brushing his fingers over Billy’s wrist, Steve leads the way back to the car.

Billy drives them to the Byers. The house is empty, so Billy sits Steve down on a chair in the guest room before heading to the linen closet. He makes the bed quickly, and then helps Steve out of his clothes before stripping down to his boxers himself. They curl up under the blankets and Billy pulls Steve close.

Sighing, Steve says, “Thank you, Billy. I love you.”

“I love you, too, princess. Let’s get some sleep.”

Nodding, Steve pulls Billy closer and lets himself relax. _Everything is going to be ok. We’re going to be ok,_ he tells himself as he drifts off to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> this was supposed to be a drabble, and it got away from me. i have a lot of feelings about harringrove.
> 
> come talk to me on [tumblr](https://nblesbianbenhanscom.tumblr.com/)!


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